Carpooling Philippe Graton: “Putting Vaillante and Michel Vaillant back against the wall”

The French screenwriter and photographer was destined for a career as Tintin, but it was Michel Vaillant who he decided to keep alive following his father Jean Graton, with a serious rejuvenation as a bonus. Symbol of the interconnection of the work with reality, this Carpooling is carried out with the help of a rare... Valiant Grand Défi.

Published on 21/09/2018 à 10:18

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Carpooling Philippe Graton: “Putting Vaillante and Michel Vaillant back against the wall”

Why did you change everything by stopping the series initiated by your father Jean Graton in 1957?
Vast subject! There are several reasons. Drawing, scenario, link with what is happening in the economic and industrial world of automobiles, new technologies, the emergence of new energies, links within the Vaillant family… I really wanted to explore all these subjects in more depth.

Does this mean that Michel Vaillant was no longer connected to reality at that time?
We had to return to a certain credibility. A French brand like Vaillante would be in difficulty, if not already bought by a large group, which is the case for almost all small manufacturers. From the start of the new season, Vaillante is faced with this problem. If she doesn't join in, she will be overwhelmed. Hence Jean-Pierre's dream of acquiring the Leader brand which holds all the technological patents in Asia. And thereby, to absorb the eternal enemy.

Philippe Graton even wears the Vaillante jacket designed by 8Js, the brand of Sacha Prost (son ofAlain Prost). © Germain Hazard

Except it's not going to work...
We make them dangle this offer, and in volume 4, “Collapse”, the valiant will be taken in by the maneuver and will lose everything. But it's not by chance! This is what I wanted to do: put Vaillante and Michel Vaillant back against the wall. They must win back everything. A new start !

If we look at the origin of Michel Vaillant in “Le Grand Défi”, it is a father who builds his cars, a son an engineer and the other a pilot and, three of them, they set off to challenge the United States! It's David against Goliath, there is an epic breath, we tremble for them, they are victims of sabotage, of injustice, but they will fight and overcome it. This dimension no longer existed in the last albums. They were already “at the top”, they presented a whole range of cars at each show. My father even drew Michel Vaillant in a suit and tie, you can imagine, a comic book hero in a suit! It was all becoming tidy, cushy.

How does the next Michel Vaillant, “Macao” (available November 2) look?
A combination of circumstances brings Michel back to Macau. He will play a role that has never been attributed to him before: helping young pilots of Formula 3Including Sacha fenestraz. However, with a twist in the middle of the album. He will have the opportunity to recover something very precious, determining for the rest of the series. Quiet !

To discover: Michel Vaillant's new album and its collector's version! In bookstores November 2.
A breathtaking scenario by Denis Lapiere and Philippe Graton. In drawing, Benjamin Benéteau takes up the challenge of creating this album alone: characters, cars, settings. pic.twitter.com/iTwZKLCcbe

— Michel Vaillant (@MichelVaillant_) September 10, 2018